Many contestants, sign of democracy - NDC Chairman

Accra, June 17, GNA - The emergence of about four aspiring flag bearers for the 2008 election within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) reinforce the democratic credentials of the party, Mr. Dan Nii Annang, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NDC has said. "This is not worrying at all. It is an improvement in the democratic character of the party.

"Unlike the 2000 popular acclamation, which came to be known as the Swedru declaration and two contestants in 2004, more candidates for the 2008 election improves the evolving democratisation of the NDC," the Regional Chairman stated in an interview with the GNA in Accra on Friday. "After all who said that popular acclamation is not democratic. President was selected by the NPP for his second term in 2004 by the same process," Mr. Annang said.

This goes to disprove critics of the party after its national conference in Koforidua that there was no internal democracy within the NDC, wrong, he argued and described the event as part of its past, which must be put behind, he said. He described the resignations that followed the conference as unfortunate and called on the members of the NDC to remain resolute and focused since the doors of the party were still opened to all those who left after the event.

If people contested for positions within the NDC with others and lost, how can they turn round and charge the party of not practicing internal democracy, Mr. Annang asked. The Regional Chairman described the ground as "fertile" since Ghanaians were fed up with the NPP government and charged members and supporters of the party to redouble their efforts to organize and win over "floating voters" to ensure victory for the NDC in the 2008 general elections.

Mr. Annang said the party had made plans to re-capture power without elaborating, saying, "We are holding our cards to the chest". He said the problems of two of the three hotspots for the party in the Greater Accra had been solved and that the only one left, Odododiodoo would have its constituency conference, which was postponed last year on the eighth of next month to elect executive officers to run the affairs of the branch.

Mr. Inning said the National Executive of the NED would raise the curtain in December for aspiring candidates to file their nomination to contest the primaries throughout the country. He said former President Rawlings could not be left out of the party's campaign to recapture power since he was the Founder and still very influential, adding that, those who complained about him were afraid of his influence in the country.

The NDC Regional Chairman said the current spate of industrial action in the country was an indication of the people's disappointment in the performance of the government since they were suffering. He said the government should put in more efforts to solve the strikes especially by the health sector workers and asked, "Is this the listening government that we voted for? How could the President leave for abroad when Doctors are on strike and people are dying".

"During the NDC era, former President would have cancelled every travel to solve the problem," Mr. Annang said.